Meryl Williams

Communications Coordinator

Meryl is the Communications Coordinator for AAMA. She produces national and regional newsletters, writes editorial content and helps lead AAMA’s social media outreach, including the Socially Speaking blog. She has seven years of professional communications experience in both journalism and public relations.

Recent Posts by Meryl

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about video lately, and the growing popularity of tools like Facebook Live and Instagram Stories are probably why. For a while, AAMA was shooting interviews at conferences to build an inventory of video clips and interviews, but at our most recent conference, we tried something different. We went in with a clear vision of a short video we wanted to produce, one that would be easy to share, and we carried out member interviews to make it happen....

I joined the AAMA Marketing Department almost five years ago, and I am proud to be part of a team and an association that is so committed to its hard-working members. AAMA is constantly working toward bettering its member experience and adding to its slate of services and tools offered.In my role as AAMA Communications Coordinator, I specialize in written communications as well as social media. Have you thought about setting up a Facebook Business page for your company, but feel unsure about where to...

For the last four AAMA conferences, I’ve offered social media workshops on a range of topics. It was great to see several of you who participated in those sessions. So far, members have learned how to make the most out of using LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. During the Q&amp;A section of a recent workshop, I got a great question: Which platform is BEST?As I’ve written before, there’s no simple answer to this question. But it got me thinking about why we choose some platforms over...

During GlassBuild America last month, many AAMA members took up real estate on the tradeshow floor, showing off what they’ve been innovating in 2018. Several AAMA staff were in Las Vegas, either working in the association’s booth or meeting with industry leaders on the floor and at networking events. I worked behind the scenes to find and share updates from AAMA members posting about the show on Twitter, using the hashtag #GlassBuild. Here are some highlights AAMA members were sharing.Kicking Off the ShowNetworking and Demos&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Last...

Two big industry events are happening soon, and both are great opportunities to use Twitter to your advantage when it comes to networking and getting the latest information live. Even if you can’t attend GlassBuild America next week or next month’s AAMA Fall Conference, you can still get the scoop in real time by following each event’s hashtag. Here are some tips to get the most out of an in-person event’s Twitter presence, even if you’re not there.Tip 1: Find out the official hashtag. In...

Does your company have an Instagram account? Even if you’re not a consumer-facing company, it’s still not a bad idea to use the tool to show off what you do. Instagram can be great for portraying company culture or highlighting achievements. And if you are consumer-facing, you can definitely take advantage of Instagram by posting amazing products being used in various applications.If you’re curious about the app, AAMA is hosting a webinar August 14, open to the public, led by me. A Marketing Guide to...

While conducting a recent workshop at the AAMA Summer Conference, a member asked a great, but tough, question: What’s the best social media platform? I had to think about it, because there’s no one answer, and the rationale behind this is complicated. For example, I could tell this member that, for AAMA, LinkedIn is a great way to reach most our membership, or that for me personally, I get the most value out of Twitter and find Instagram the most fun. Still, none of those...

Have you been keeping up with changes to your favorite social media platforms? Between the GDRP rules taking effect last month and the importance of social media in the news landscape, there’s a lot going on. That means it’s time for another social media news roundup!InstagramInstagram rolled out a new feature that allows users to embed other user’s posts in Instagram Stories. AAMA recently embedded a post from member company Sierra Pacific Windows to commemorate Memorial Day. Embedding their post alerted Sierra Pacific Windows that...

At the last two AAMA conferences, I’ve had the chance to talk to companies about LinkedIn and Twitter, but this summer, it’s all about using Instagram for businesses. If you’re going to the AAMA National Summer Conference June 11-14 in Olympic Valley, CA, check in on one of two sessions of a workshop I’m offering called, “A Marketing Guide to Instagram: Visually Showcasing Your Brand.”Instagram is interesting for a lot of reasons. It’s owned by Facebook so the two play well together, but it’s also...

As Window Safety Week 2018 winds down, it’s important to remember that window safety is an exercise well worth practicing all year long. That said, we’re glad many in the industry took the time to share resources from the Window Safety Task Force this week. I wanted to shout out those among our membership who did an excellent job in amplifying this campaign through social media.#WindowSafetyWeek Follow these 8 tips from the @WindowSafetyTF to help protect children from accidental window falls. @NSCsafety pic.twitter.com/0yHIyeG3qf— Roto North...

There have been a lot of changes to the AAMA website and its vast members-only content, and we’ve gone over plenty of resources now available to members. But there’s one page that is a great, quick resource for me personally and that can be a valuable resource for members as well. As part of the ongoing improvements to the updated AAMA website, users can now easily find and contact specific members of the AAMA staff. A new staff directory was added and can be found...

The setting of the AAMA 2018 Annual Conference in Orlando, FL, made for some beautiful pictures on social media. Through these images, those at the event were able to give updates on the gorgeous sunshine and meeting work, as well. It’s all because they used the convenient event hashtag, #AAMAconf, when posting updates to Twitter and Instagram. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences down south! Here’s a quick rundown of what happened in Florida, according to social media.Door &amp; Window Market was active on...

Twitter has seen a lot of change over the last year or so, including the addition of an official way to thread tweets, aesthetic changes like going from square profile pictures to round and the creation of the Explore tab on the mobile app, which combines trends, Moments and search in one area. Still, one thing that remains constant with Twitter is the set of unspoken rules of how we do and do not talk to each other on the social networking platform. Here are...

Do your company’s New Year’s resolutions involve becoming more visible on social media? If it’s not a part of your strategy already, it’s worth learning more about various platforms. Those at next month’s AAMA Annual Conference will have a chance to take a close look at Twitter with my workshop, “The Who, What and Why of Twitter: Better Engage Existing and Potential Customers.” Two sessions of the workshop will be offered at the event happening February 19-22 in Orlando, FL.I love using Twitter to follow...

It’s hard to believe it’s December already, but look at the glass half-full – you’ve still got 30 days to plan and schedule some great social media content in 2017. Now’s the time to think about what you want to get done and how to make it happen, before things get too busy with the holidays at the end of the year.For example, AAMA celebrates the holidays early! We’ll be gathering at AAMA HQ next week for our annual holiday party, which was, as Marketing...

By now, we all know that Instagram is the go-to platform on which to show off our most beautiful, square-shaped images. Still, the photo-centric app has moved more and more into the video realm. And thanks to the start of Instagram Stories, which rolled out a little over a year ago, your company doesn’t really need a Snapchat account if you don’t want one. Instagram Stories lets users take short video clips of what they’re seeing and add the fun filters and stickers Snapchat became...

A lot of news has come out recently in the social media world! Things are always changing, but it’s not a bad idea to keep up with what’s new, especially if changes could mean good things for you or your business. Here’s a quick social media news roundup of some items that could benefit you, either now or down the road once changes are made mainstream.Twitter testing out 280-character tweets: This new feature has already been added to select accounts, but it’s widely believed that...

I’m even more excited for the next AAMA conference than I usually am, because this time, I’ll be leading two workshops about social media. On Monday and Tuesday afternoon during the conference, I’ll be presenting a workshop called “7 Actions You Can Take Today to Improve and Protect Your LinkedIn Profile.” If you’ll be at the Fall Conference October 15-18 in Greenville, SC, I hope you’ll join me!Some of the things I’ll be going over include the importance of having an updated profile picture (and...

I have been thinking a lot lately about how my social media pie is being divided, and how it shapes up compared to those of others. Compared to two or three years ago, I spend less and less time now with Facebook and more with Twitter and Instagram, but I know one of the most-used platforms among AAMA members is LinkedIn. I also know that, as a millennial, my social media diet varies from that of, say, my dad, who primarily checks Facebook and has...

In a Socially Speaking post two summers ago, I shared a list of 10 residential and commercially-focused industry media accounts to follow on Twitter in order to keep up with fenestration news. That list still stands as a great round-up of media outlets, but here are some additional accounts you should add in order to get an even wider range of perspectives on our industry.Chip Gentry is a lawyer who specializes in fenestration-related litigation. He often speaks at conferences about how companies can avoid lawsuits,...

While some may see LinkedIn as a utilitarian service meant only for getting a job, it’s one of the most used social media platforms among AAMA members. Just a few weeks ago, the site hit a major milestone of more than 500 million users. Even if you’re currently in a role you love, there’s still a lot of merit in keeping up with the career-focused social media site. Take a look at some tips for using LinkedIn and get some ideas for what you could...

Live video at events is becoming more and more prevalent, but even if you don’t have the manpower to use Facebook Live throughout an event, you still have options when it comes to video marketing. AAMA will be working on some of these as we head into next month’s Summer Conference, June 18-21 in Newport, RI. (Say hi if you see me with AAMA’s camera!) Here are some ways you can use video for your company, whether it’s to promote a corporate event or to...

Happy spring! This change of seasons means it’s almost time for warm weather and open windows letting in fresh air. It also means it’s time to brush up on some window safety tips, since open windows can be dangerous for young children who are not properly supervised. The Window Safety Task Force, of which AAMA is a member, has put together tons of tips and resources for Window Safety Week, the first full week of April each year, and companies can easily follow along and...

Are you already a podcast listener? If so, I bet you can name at least a few of the sponsors of your favorite shows. The hosts of those podcasts are always introducing episodes by naming them and telling listeners what’s so great about them.Maybe you’ve even tried out a service or product because you heard about it that way – I became a loyal user of Blue Apron’s meal services because I kept hearing about it on shows like Gilmore Guys and Reply All. You...

It's a new year, and the perfect time for AAMA to begin rolling out some new, updated looks for its publications, like the monthly-released AAMA e-News. You'll see a new layout for this popular digest soon, timed with the release of the brand-new AAMA website. Those attending the AAMA 80th Annual Conference next month will get a sneak peek at the website's new look, but for now, here's what you can expect for the updated AAMA e-News.

Are you on Instagram? AAMA is now, and we love it. The free app launched as a throwback homage to the Polaroid instant print of old, and lets users take and edit square-shaped photos. Users immediately fell for the many available filters and a whole subculture has formed around devotees of certain ones. AAMA uses Instagram to take and share photos of life around AAMA headquarters in Schaumburg, IL and also to post updates from in-person events, like conferences and trade shows.

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